School: Kinnitty
- Location:
- Kinnitty, Co. Offaly
- Teacher: S. Ó Murchadha
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0820, Page 309
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- XML “Famine Days”
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- Famine DaysThe people of this locality like Lord Castletown very well because in the years of the famine he gave the poor people 5/- each every Saturday. Every Christmas he killed a bullock and divided it up and gave it to poor people of this locality.There is a ruins of an old hospital about a quarter of a mile from Kinnitty. It was in use in the famine. Mr. J. Corby, Kinnitty, told me that his father told him that hundreds of people died on the hospital in the famine years 1845 to 1847.A man by the name of Tom Armstrong, Kinnitty, Birr, Co. Offaly, gave out yellow meal. The people of Ireland made porridge from it and ate it every day. I was told by Mr. Corby, Kinnitty, that for every two miles of the road a person was dead or dying in the famine years.It was in the ground that the potatoes died. Coffins were not able to be made for the people that were dying because they wee dying too quickly. The Irish people used to pick weeds and boil them for the dinner. There was a bigger population in this locality before the famine than after the famine.Writer's name: Patrick Allen, Kinnitty, Birr, Co. Offaly.
Informant's name: Mr. Joseph Corby, Kinnitty, Birr, Co. Offaly.
- Collector
- Patrick Allen
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Kinnitty, Co. Offaly
- Informant
- Mr Joseph Corby
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Kinnitty, Co. Offaly
